CROWNED BUDDHA
Noble wood, lacquer and gildingBurma, Shan, Konbaung 19th cent.Buddha Shakyamuni depicted as a royal prince on a very tall pedestal with multiple tiers. A stylistically unusual portrait which accentuates the Buddha’s nature as a spiritual and thus supernatural being. Multiple features emphasize the Buddha’s vertical axis. These include, in addition to the pedestal, the expressly youthful, slender figure as well as the head and especially the crown, both of which grow wider towards the top and the latter of which features vertical ribbing that transports the Buddha’s spiritual radiation. Furthermore, one of the fingers of the Buddha’s hand demonstrating the gesture of earth-touching is held straight up. With the gesture of earth-touching, the Buddha calls upon the goddess of the earth, Bhumi, to witness his victory over Mara. A special feature of this Buddha is the form of his face, which is extremely youthful, one might even say boyish, and which is influenced by Burma’s mystic-mythical forest beings as well as, in a certain sense, by the Siamese style of Ayutthya (which neighbored the Shan State, the Shan people being of Siamese origin). Buddha, sitting in padmasana, is wearing princely clothing, decorative bracelets on his arms and has a diamond-shaped jewel on the front of his crown. Red lacquer coat with lacquer gilding.Dimensions: HEIGHT 58.5 CMCondition: Some small signs of aging, but on the whole impressively well preservedProvenance: From an old German collection